Timeline Information

Timeline is a 2003 science fiction adventure film directed by Richard Donner, based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. A team of present-day archaeologists are sent back in time to rescue their professor from medieval France in the middle of a battle. It stars Paul Walker, Frances O'Connor, Gerard Butler, Billy Connolly, David Thewlis and Anna Friel among others.

Jerry Goldsmith composed the original score, which would have been his last before his death in 2004, but it was replaced with a new score by Brian Tyler, after the first cut was re-edited and Goldsmith's increasing health problems did not allow him to continue. The film was poorly received by critics and fans of the book and was a box office failure.

Plot details

A man is trying to escape through the forest from a pursuing knight. Just as the knight catches him and hits him with the sword the man disappears. Soon after that the man is discovered barely alive in the middle of the desert, only able to tell a single word - Castlegard. He dies shortly after being transferred to the hospital. One of the physicians discovers a pendant around his neck with the ITC Corp. label. The X-ray photos show many internal organs, veins and bones are out of alignment for an unknown reason. Soon after that an ITC Corp. employee shows up and identifies the dead man as Vincent Traub. He picks up his body and the company decides to cover up the incident.

Archaeologist Prof. Edward Johnston (Billy Connolly) and his students Kate Erickson (Frances O'Connor), Josh Stern (Ethan Embry), François Dontelle (Rossif Sutherland), and André Marek (Gerard Butler) have been sponsored by the ITC Corp. to excavate the ruins of the village of Castlegard in France near La Roque Castle; the village was burned in 1357 during the Hundred Years War as part of a massive battle. The hanging of Lady Claire (Anna Friel), the sister of Arnaud de Cervole, inspired the French to victory. Prof. Johnston's son, Chris (Paul Walker) is more infatuated with Kate than digging, until Marek shows him a sarcophagus of a French knight with a lopped ear, in an unusual position, holding hands with his lady beside for eternity.

Prof. Johnston suspects ITC confabulation, and flies to their headquarters in New Mexico. But a few days later without word, the team finds a 600-year-old parchment plea for help, and one dropped bifocal lens from the professor. Chris calls ITC for his father; they promise to explain all in New Mexico. ITC president Robert Doniger (David Thewlis) and vice-president Steven Kramer (Matt Craven) explain a teleportation device transports via wormhole to Castlegard in 1357 - time travel. Prof. Johnston needs rescuing from the past. Chris, Kate, and André talk François into going as their only competent French speaker. Three marines provide security, but the chief has a secret mission to kill someone. They don appropriate clothing and special markers that will return them to the present when pressed, but only last six hours. When a marker lights with time remaining, a small energy pulse shows on present-day display.

The group land smack into danger, first a rushing river, then pursuing English riders, warned by French fugitive, Lady Claire (Anna Friel). The two marines are killed. One, dying, presses his marker home, but the forbidden grenade he carried damages the time machine. Claire reunites with her brother Arnaud (Lambert Wilson) temporarily, but English forces take the others to Lord Oliver de Vannes (Michael Sheen). He insists their interpreter translate "I am a spy" from French, kills François, and throws them in an attic where the professor is already held.

Kate, the lightest weight and best climber, sneaks out the roof, and frees the others to fight their way free, so all regret the necessity to kill. Sir William DeKere (Marton Csokas) reveals his identity as former ITC employee William Decker, body ravaged by repeated time travel. Doniger hid the fact that the machine damaged DNA and internal organs. Decker takes their markers and kills the last chief marine Frank Gordon. One marker is enough to take them all back, but they have to stay alive, and gather in an area with thirty square feet around free of obstacles. André again rescues Claire, foiling history, they fall in love, as do Chris and Kate. Kate leads Chris, then Arnaud's troops to the monastery secret underground tunnel at La Roque Castle, allowing the battle to turn in favor of the French as in the original history. Lord Oliver captures Claire but is killed by Arnaut, and André is attacked by DeKere who cuts his ear off. Realizing he is the knight buried in the sarcophagus empowers him to kill deKere and send the others off to a clear field for travel home.

In the present, Josh and Kramer repair the machine despite Doniger's eagerness to write off the loss of lives for greater scientific good. Doniger runs into the transmit area while the others return, but in France without a marker, is cut down by a charging knight. Later, back at Castlegard, the three archaeologists read the sarcophagus inscription from André and Claire, detailing three children, Christophe, Katherine, François, and a full joyous life together.

Cast

• Paul Walker as Chris Johnston
• Frances O'Connor as Kate Ericson
• Gerard Butler as André Marek
• Billy Connolly as Professor Edward A. Johnston
• David Thewlis as Robert Doniger
• Anna Friel as Lady Claire
• Neal McDonough as Frank Gordon
• Matt Craven as Steven Kramer
• Ethan Embry as Josh Stern
• Michael Sheen as Lord Oliver de Vannes
• Lambert Wilson as Lord Arnaud de Cervole
• Marton Csokas as Sir William De Kere/William Decker
• Rossif Sutherland as François Dontelle
• Patrick Sabongui as Jimmy Gomez
• Steve Kahan as Baker

Production

The battle sequences used medieval reenactors. Donner limited the use of CGI in the film as much as possible.

The movie's crew visited various European castles from the late 14th century to make the castles and towns look realistic.

Composer Jerry Goldsmith had his score replaced by Brian Tyler's score, because of the changes in the final cut of the film. However, both Goldsmith and Tyler's scores were released on CD.

The character Robert Doniger was named after Harriet Jacobs Doniger, a teacher of Crichton's daughter.

The filming took place in the Laurentian Mountains and Eastern Townships regions of Quebec near Montreal, Also, in the city of Terrebonne (approx. north of Montreal). Castelgard and other settings from the book where recreated there.

Reception

Timeline was panned by most critics and did poorly at the box office, only recouping $44 million worldwide from a budget of $80 million. The film also received a 12% fresh rating on film website Rotten Tomatoes based on 139 reviews, stating that this "incoherently plotted addition to the time-travel genre looks and sounds cheesy".